Islamicate traditions in South Asia : themes from culture & history

The Islamicate traditions of South Asia, a unique phenomenon resulting from the cohabitation and mutual influences of non-Muslim and Muslim societies, are the focus of the fourteen articles presented in this volume. The texts, written by invited specialists in different fields, cover a large array of themes. The main issues discussed by the authors refer to the widely understood cultural environment of South Asian Muslims, including their language, literature, history, thought and traditions. Divided into four sections ("Places & Images", "People", "Ideas & Notions", and "History & Language"), the volume also presents different research directions and methods followed by leading scholar authorities investigating various aspects of the Muslim presence and Muslim-influenced heritage in South Asia. This book is important for those who are dealing with the problematic of Islam and Islamicate cultural traditions in the form in which these features are present in the vast and differentiated area of South Asia. It will also prove to be a useful reference tool for students of humanities in general, and of South Asian studies in particular, especially those interested in Muslim history, culture and literature. Moreover, it should be helpful in researching the questions of intercultural communication as well as studying the confluences of cultures and languages not necessarily and exclusively in the South Asian context